As a Yorkshireman playing for Lancashire, Gary Keedy is expecting plenty of stick from the Headingley faithful in tonight’s table-topping Friends Life t20 Roses clash.

But the Lightning spinner won’t take it personally, because he knows he will not be the only one to feel the force of the sell-out crowd and the infamous Western Terrace.

And the 37-year-old, who was born in Wakefield and played once for the White Rose before crossing the Pennines 17 years ago, believes if Lancashire get on top, they can use the hostile crowd to their advantage.

“I do still get stick when I go over there, but when you play at Headingley everybody gets stick, no matter where you were born!” said Keedy, who supports the other Headingley-based team, rugby league’s Leeds Rhinos.

“They don’t go out of their way to give me a special mention just because I was born in Yorkshire.

“It is nice to play in front of big crowds – as a professional cricketer that is what you want to do. But even more so when it is so biased in one team’s favour.

“But if you get on top at Headingley, the fans can turn on their own players which I have seen them do before.

“It is all about starting well and getting that momentum.

“There is always something special about a Roses game, in whatever form of cricket.

“I have played in a few of them now and wherever you play – either at Old Trafford or Headingley – you expect a big, noisy crowd, but they are the games you want to do well in.

“The rivalry is probably more with the spectators. The players have a mutual respect for each other. You know you are going to face 11 tough players.”

Following Yorkshire’s relegation from Division One of the LV= County Championship last season, the two T20 clashes will be the only Roses matches on the calendar this year, unless the two sides meet in the CB40 final or on finals day. Ajmal Shahzad can be key to Roses win for Lancashire

Yorkshire are flying high at the top of the North Group after Wednesday’s last-ball win over Leicestershire Foxes, with Australian Mitchell Starc the leading wicket-taker in this year's competition. But victory tonight would see Lancashire leap-frog their rivals and put them in line for a place in the quarter-finals with four group matches remaining.

“We are in a good position,” said Keedy, who claimed four wickets in the demolition of Durham Dynamos on Monday night. “We are gaining momentum in the competition.

“Yorkshire are doing well, but if we can take the form we have shown in our last two victories into tonight, it will give us a good chance of getting a victory.

“But they are all tough games in this competition. There are no weak teams. Leicestershire won the trophy last year and are struggling to win a game this season but are still a good side.

“Derbyshire beat us in our first game and can turn anybody over on their day.

“You need a bit of luck, but you also need the momentum, as we showed last year.

“In the latter part of the group stage we started firing, that took us nicely into the quarter-final, and that is something we are aiming to do now.”

Lancashire are set to name an unchanged side from the one which beat Durham, with Ajmal Shahzad – who is on loan from Yorkshire – ineligible to play against his parent club.

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